Hundreds of students, school children and campaigners played dead in front of Leeds Civic Hall this lunch time.

Following a protest march through the city centre, a huge crowd lay down in front of the Leeds City Council building in Millennium Square in a 'die in' to protest the proposed expansion of Leeds Bradford Aiport.

They are condemning plans to facilitate the expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport , build more car parking spaces in the city centre and fell dozens of trees to make way for the expansion of Lawnswood Roundabout.

The protest march set off from Millennium Square earlier today(Friday) to the beats of a drumming circle and chants could be heard as they made their way through the city centre, temporarily stopping traffic on the Headrow.

One sign read: "If you don’t act like adults, we will.”

Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg sparked the Youth Strike movement when she staged a solo protest in her home country last August.

Since then hundreds of thousands of children and young people around the world have walked out of lessons and lectures to take part in strikes.

Police quickly stepped in to drag him away from the scene on the Headrow.

In response to the protest, Cllr Lisa Mulherin, Executive Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainable Development, said:

“Tackling the climate emergency is now one of the council’s 3 strategic priorities.

“The council declared a climate emergency in March and we are taking urgent action to make Leeds a cleaner, greener and healthier city. Even with squeezed council budgets, we are already reducing the city’s emissions by investing in green initiatives such as low energy street lighting, better home insulation, and ultra-low emission vehicles. We’re also working with partners to make it easier for residents to leave the car at home with new cycle lanes, bus lanes, train stations, and expanded Park and Ride facilities.

“We are committed to continuing this work and doing even more to make Leeds a carbon neutral city by 2030. But achieving the necessary targets won’t be possible without widespread support from individuals, organisations and central government. We are engaging with activists and partner organisations to plan the start of a long-term city wide conversation about how Leeds can collectively and equitably reduce its carbon footprint.

“I invite any resident passionate about this issue to work with us to help facilitate a successful and impactful conversation. By working together, we can better engage the city and secure unprecedented local change."

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